The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GEORGIA Dog's defensive front dominates in victory
ATHENS — It’s not unusual for Azeez Ojulari to show a big smile. On Saturday though, his grin was ear to ear.
After looking for the right words to explain the Georgia linebacker’s jubilance, Ojulari kept it simple. “It just feels great, man,” he said.
That feeling was the result of the domination by Geor- gia’s defensive front seven in its 63-17 win over Murray State. Six sacks, 11 tack- les for a loss and a bunch of havoc were recorded for Georgia’s defense, much of that coming from up front. Seven UGA players recorded at least half a sack.
“We came to hunt and get those sacks,” Ojulari said. “That’s our thing. Every week, try to keep pressuring them and get that number up.”
Go i ng into the game, aggression at the line of scrimmage and backfield disruption was a focus for Georgia. “The game plan was to come in and play these guys a little different than some of the teams we played like them in the past,” coach Kirby Smart said. “To try to be aggressive and try to cover them and get up on them . ... I thought our front was disruptive and controlled the run game.”
On 27 carries, the Racers mustered just 23 yards on the ground, an average of 0.9 yards per carry. The Bulldogs will face much tougher opponents down the line, but a game like this helps before they have to face those better teams. “I think it does (help), actually,” Ojulari said. “Last week we didn’t get that many (tackles for a loss), but this week I think it just builds momentum as we go on with the season.”
Safety J.R. Reed couldn’t have been more excited by the group’s performance.
“I love it,” Reed said following the win. “When they get sacks and they get back to the quarterback, man, it makes my job so much easier.”
“If those guys can keep it up,” Reed said, “I might buy them a steak dinner.”